What’s jarring about requiring a facebook login on a tumblr blog to win a flask co-produced by Macallan and Oakley?
http://usmacallan.tumblr.com/post/44172338629/whisky-worth-going-to-great-lengths-to-protect
a. Everything
b. The jumping of the shark
c. A $1200 flask that doesn’t come with whisky
d. all of the above
fucking amateurs.
-StrongLikeCask
Sometimes we improve details that no one ever thought were needed. Why? Why not. http://bit.ly/V8Uef8
(Source: appdev.usamacallan.com)
Sometimes we improve details that no one ever thought were needed. Why? Why not. http://bit.ly/V8Uef8
(Source: appdev.usamacallan.com)
Two execs walk into a bar… find out what happens next at http://bit.ly/WhC8JA
Much like the Violent Femmes, I like American music. And of course, I like American Whiskey. When I was sent the sample for Vicker Brothers, I was intrigued. It’s not whiskey, though part of its mash bill (if you want to call it that) is corn. Though I am not a huge fan of “flavoring” whiskies or spirits, the whole premise behind the spirit intrigued me. Vicker Brothers make a spirit out of “cane and corn.” They then patented the process by which they age that spirit. This aging involves some combination of temperature, filtration, barrel and chip aging for 2 years, and adding the aforementioned “honey mixture.”
The company seems scrappy - like they’re putting out product against all odds. And I like American music. I like American whiskey. And I like American scrappiness
Vicker Brothers South Carolina Backwoods Recipe
ABV: 45%
Legs: Large, slow, somewhat sloppy
Color: Translucent gold
Nose: icing, stone fruit, some antiseptic notes
Palate: Initially very light - there is a gentle honeyed sweetness that sits on the tongue before being taken over by the finish. There is also some acetone flavor in there.
Finish: Long and spicy. you do get the honeyed sweetness still, but in general there’s more spice. It reminds me of rye.
Overall: This is a really interesting spirit. I want to call it sweet, but it has too much spice on the end to do that. It is extremely reminiscent of whiskey, but one that is both simple (the flavors are simple), and one that is complex (the timing of the different opposing sweet and spicy flavors is crazy). I would recommend it - worth a try for sure. It lives up to the “smooth” claim, and does bely its 2 years of aging.
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Weller 107. Captivating, and fit the amount of birthday money I had left to spend. I like venturing into the world of 40+%, and this really works, particularly iced a bit. Compares favorably with WT101, which I like for another set of reasons.
Down glass shot. #beer #abita
At Ruth’s Chris for a company dinner. They have an Oban 15! Must be the shit.
You would think that a chain steakhouse would both know their selection and be able to spell Nadurra.
Laphroaig 20 (SMWS 29.104), or Not for wee boys
Distilled October 1990, Price of $140
ABV: 58.2%
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Color: A gold that wouldn’t have made me guess it was refill sherry
Nose: Lemon and light dark fruits with grain. A nice sherry with only a slight hint at a Laphroaig iodine
Taste: like the nose promises, this is sweet. There’s definitely smoke that surrounds it, but it’s a nice sweet grain with a bit of sharpness to finish
Overall: This is a Laphroaig that hits more at the beginning than at the end. I always love sherried Laphroaigs, but this honestly tastes more lik e a refill barrel with only a hint of a sherry. You taste the grain and the Laphroaig here, uncomplicated from the sherry, but a lot more going on than the standard bottlings. Nice job, SMWSA
Official Tasting Note:
A big nose with lots going on. Carbolic soap, sticking plasters, treacle, hot smoked salmon, burnt heather and liquorice root added to the anticipation. Then a youthful woody spiciness together with jerk chicken sauce (rosemary, thyme, cloves, honey). The palate was massive with concentrated flavours and bitter woodiness. Water brought out prunes, raisins, lemon juice and old campfires. A musky aroma accompanied some lighter floral notes. A brief hint of struck matches to taste gave way to tannins, burnt heather, liquorice sticks and lots of sweetness. It benefitted from some water to calm it down. Of the three Kildalton distilleries, this is the one closest to Port Ellen.
Thanks to SMWSA for the samples
-StrongLikeCask
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First glass out of my Van Winkle 12 year old. One ice cube.
Cardhu 27 (SMWS 106.18), or Bottled essence of summer
Distilled November 1984, Price of $175
ABV: 52.6%
Cask: Refill hogshead
Color: Light greenish gold
Nose: Wood and a little soap. Clean forests, I guess. A hint of sweetness, but nto much.
Taste: Waxy toffee, green and vegetal. The soapy forest is still there, but it’s pleasant with only a reminder of soap – not soap itself. Sweetness and bitterness paired extremely well. With a little fizziness on top.
Overall: This is a sipper. A contemplative whisky that begs for conversation. I’m not sure about the price point, but it’s a damn fine dram.
Official Tasting Note:
Our noses found poignant floral perfumes, shrubberies and pine tree freshness. We also detected ripe fruits (apple, mango), candles, cinnamon, clove and honey on buttered toast. The palate was chewy and delicious; fragrant wood, flowers and tropical fruits (lychee, apricot, passion fruit) mingled with sweet toffee flavours to draw sighs of contentment from the panel. The reduced nose, with tutti-frutti ice-cream, lime, sawn wood and aromatherapy oils made us think of warm summer nights. The palate now carried rose and lemon-flavoured Turkish Delight with stem ginger spicy warmth in the tail-flick. The distillery houses the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker.
Thanks for the samples, SMWSA!
-StrongLikeCask
Rosebank 21 (SMWS 25.63), or Poire et poivre
Distilled November 1990, Price of $145
ABV: 59.8%
Cask: Refill hogshead
Color: Moonshine with a wisp of yellow
Nose: Crayons, yeast, cinnamon and a bit of citrus
Taste: Cinnamon buns with a slow warming floral note. Basically sweet and a slight spice that last for a bit.
Overall: This is a nice whisky. It’s not overly complex, but it’s a really beautiful example of what a lowland is capable of. It’s reminiscent of the long gone Rosebank 21 from last year, though perhaps with a bit more heat.
Official Tasting Note:
The nose suggested fermenting beer – still life on the lid of a washback – green apples, a pear, a peach, some lemon puffs, a stone bowl containing sweet pipe tobacco and a bunch of fresh spring flowers. Pears again on the palate (riper now), also some fizzy fruit (sherbert lemons), more flowers (this time from high summer) and definite peppery spice (‘poire et poivre;). The second nosing had mild liquorice (sherbet dib-dabs) tobacco leaf and pear and nettle sorbet. The reduced palate gave light, pleasant flavours of bergamot and floral perfumes; a mild tingly finish. From Falkirk’s sadly now defunct distillery.
Thanks to the SMWSA for the sample.
-StrongLikeCask
Penderyn 5 (SMWS 128.3), or Chestnut puree and new hiking boots
Distilled October 2006, Price of $85
ABV: 61.3%
Cask: First-fill barrel
Color: Moonshine with a whisp of gold
Nose: Sugared plums, with not much heat for that ABV. A little sour varnish note, but a lot of frosted vanillin
Taste: Rum tum tigger. A lot of flavors, and a lot of them are rum. An initial burst of heat followed by sour sweetness, leathery and warming. A ton of oak resin for how young it is. Numbs the tastebuds a bit. Water brings out some oily viscosity to the dram and brings out that sweetness from the nose. Still stonefruit. But it also simplifies the dram.
Overall: This is tasty. I haven’t had great experiences with Penderyn, and this actually shows promise once it quiets down a bit. It’s still not what I would reach for most likely, but I appreciate the opportunity to try a young dram.
Official Tasting Note:
The nose was sweet and fruity – macerated raspberries, Kirsch, cherry jam, Dr. Peppers, chocolate-coated cranberries and Haribo mix, but with fudge, toffee, hints of swimming pools and ‘brake pedals in an ambulance’. The palate held something deeply rewarding but hard to describe – sweet woodiness: hot but also smooth – sumptuous flavours of vanilla slice, banana ice lollies (right to the stick) and milk chews. The reduced nose had evident vanilla, Berwick Cockles, prunes, plums, peaches, chestnut puree and new hiking boots. The palate now delivered exotic fruits (passion fruit, star-fruit) like some long-matured single malts. From the only distillery in Wales.
Thanks to the SMWSA for the sample
-StrongLikeCask